NASA plans Google+ hangout with International Space Station astronauts

One giant leap for Google

The National Aeronautics and Space Association chose Google's social network for a conference call "hangout," when civilians will have a chance to ask question of astronauts living on the International Space Station (ISS).

The Google+ hangout chat will take place from 11 a.m. EST to 12 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 22. Astronauts Kevin Ford and Tom Marshburn of NASA and Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency will answer questions fielded by fans on Youtube, Google+, Twitter, and Facebook over the next twelve days.

The chat will be broadcast live on NASA's Google+ and Youtube pages.

What's it like being IN SPACE??

The International Space Station orbits Earth 240 miles above the planet's surface, NASA shared in a press release on Thursday.

We can't help but think our 10-year-old selves would have been flabbergasted at the chance to ask a question of three astronauts.

Oh, who are we kidding - we still are. We tried to come up with a joke question here, but instead all we could think of was all the Earth food we'd miss up there among the stars. So of course we have to ask the astronauts what they're going to eat first when they get home.

If you've got a question too, make sure to submit it via Youtube, Twitter or Google+. Video question submissions are due Feb. 12 and must be under 30 seconds long. Start by introducing yourself and giving your location, and make sure to tag the video with #askAstro.

The same hashtag applies to questions submitted via Twitter and Google+. In addition, NASA will start a Facebook thread on the morning of Feb. 22 where further questions can be added.

Obviously, Ford, Marshburn and Hadfield won't have time to answer every question - they're busy doing science experiments and maintenance on the ISS during their 6-month stay, according to NASA - but "unique and original questions are more likely to be selected," according to Thursday's announcement.